Alden Lumin - The 6th Ruler (15th Age, 652nd Year - 15th Age, 787th Year)
"The True Savior" (Rule from 15th Age, 664th Year - 15th Age, 787th Year)

 

As one might remember, Alden was born some time before Victor's death. After which, with no acting leader, Arcadia was forced to withdraw from the war effort. In the meantime, young Alden was raised and trained by the attendants at Castle Lumin. However, unlike his grandfather before him, (Edward) Alden was more akin to using the Ivory Sol itself rather than his energy manipulation.

 

Meanwhile, The Great War dragged on.

 

20 or so years later, Alden, now in his prime, had decided to officially announce Arcadia's re-establishment into the war effort. He took with him a company of Arcadian knights to Marr, where the announcement was to take place. However, Alden was separated from the knights due to an ambush of Emperian forces on a company of Marran soldiers. In the chaos, Alden was caught off guard and knocked unconscious.

 

Alden awoke in what appeared to be an abandoned field somewhere in Marr, and he wandered for what seemed like hours. Suddenly, he was greeted by a pale-faced man. This person introduced himself as Varel Exius, High Lord of the Demonic realm. At first, Alden readied his weapon, but Varel assured him that he was not going to attack.

Varel explained his situation. Apparently, the citizens of the Demonic realm had taken notice of The Cataclysm War, and feared the conflict would spread to their side of the dimensional plane. So, a meeting was called in order to discuss a representative of demon-kind to help put a stop to the war without drawing attention to their race, thus dragging them into the war. In the end, Varel volunteered to do the job, but he needed the help of Alden, who carried the mantle of the Lumin family. Varel requested that Alden join him with the condition that no one else learn of this mission, or most importantly, Varel's involvement in said mission. Alden agreed.

 

The two set to work devising a strategy. They eventually decided to sail straight to the eastern shore of Emperia, then from there, head straight to the capital where they would defeat Krusven Gaias, the Lord of Emperia, effectively ending the war.

 

After commandeering a boat, the two set out. During the voyage, Varel and Alden had a chance to talk, stop at a couple islands (typically for supplies), and even have their fair share of battles. After several months at sea, they finally reached the eastern shores of Emperia. From there, Alden and Varel made their way north.

 

Along the way, Alden had a chance to experience the Kide culture and its people. (remember that Alden did not have a chance to officially announce Arcadia's re-involvement in the war effort, hence the Kide people having no idea who Alden was.) It was not long before Alden even began questioning the mission at hand, but Varel assured him that it was for the greater good, and they moved on. 

 

Eventually, the two reached a scarred battleground. The ground was burned and the nearby structures destroyed. None of this was particularly surprising of course, but Alden did, however, make note of the absence of bodies on the field. He managed to recall something his father told him about this exact situation, but in the end, he could not remember the details and simply disregarded it. 

 

That was, however, until they reached a battle in progress just a couple of hours later. Upon inspecting the scene, Alden realized that the Emperian soldiers ahead were engaged in combat with other Emperian soldiers! Alden immediately decided to help them, and after a small argument about just which group to help, Varel agreed. During the fight, the opposing soldiers, Alden noticed, were acting strange, as they fought with a ruthless drive and an unshakable resolve, almost like this was their only purpose to exist, to kill and destroy.

 

After the battle, the Emperian general explained that his company was ambushed by the unknown assailants during a routine patrol. Alden could not help but think this was related to the battlefield earlier, and told Varel that he would not go any further until they did some investigating about these events.

 

To make a long story short, it turned out that an ancient god by the name of "Plagus" was behind these events. Apparently, the monster fed from the negative energies of the world, using this energy to revive and control fallen soldiers to create more conflict from which it would continue to feed, and maintaining this cycle until all available living beings were killed. Afterward, it would move to another plane of existence, and begin the process all over again.

 

Alden and Varel now had a new mission: to amass an army large enough to fight Plagus' forces, and destroy the god in order to, literally, save the world from extinction.

 

They made their way to Epmeria and managed to get an audience with Krusven. Alden detailed what he and Varel had learned so far, and their plan to stop it. Krusven, however, claimed that while the story did have merit, he would not lend his support until Alden defeated him in battle. Alden emerged victorious, and afterwards, Krusven gave them Emperia's support, and even gave them a ship to use to return to Marr in order to complete this alliance.

 

Once they were back in Marr, Alden and Varel learned that Marr had succumbed to the same fate as Emperia. Everywhere, Marran troops were fighting for their lives against their own fellow soldiers. Our heroes made their way to the capital where they met with the Marran emperor. Not surprisingly, the emperor was much more cooperative than even Krusven. (Given the circumstances, he didn't have much of a choice but to believe them.) With Marr and Emperia now working together, and the support of the demon race led by Varel, the goal of defeating Plagus was now in sight.

 

Using a group of elders from each race, the united army managed to open a portal to the rift where Plagus itself was located. What greeted them was a massive force comprised of every fallen warrior throughout The Great War. It was here, in the rift, that the final battle began. A clash unlike any ever seen before, even the battle of Aquius paled in comparison to this spectacle of raw destruction. The very fabric of existence itself was pushed in this final, epic struggle for the fate of the world.

 

Alden, Varel, and Krusven made their way to the core's chamber, and there, Plagus lie in wait for our heroes. The battle was hard- won, but the three warriors emerged victorious in the end.

 

With its master gone, the rift began to break apart, and thus, the escape ensued. The united army managed to withdraw, with Alden, Varel, and Krusven not far behind. As the three made their escape, Alden suddenly felt a presence back the way they came, and demanded that Varel and Krusven keep the portal open while he go investigate.

 

Back in the core's chamber, Alden discovered that part of Plagus was, in fact, still alive. However, with its body destroyed, the ancient god was forced to play its final hand. Plagus had transferred what remained of its life force to the last soldier under its control as a trump card to finally kill Alden. His final foe before him, Alden was horrified to realize that it was...

 

Victor Lumin.

 

Faced with a shadow of what was once his father, Alden reluctantly drew his Ivory Sol, Victor drew his in turn, and the fight began. The entire time, Alden could not believe his atrocious luck, being forced to re-kill his own father. In the end, Alden emerged victorious, but only just. It was a very bittersweet victory, to say the least.

 

As his father collapsed before him, Alden could not help but wonder if the entire incident could have been avoided somehow. But, he disregarded it. The cataclysm War started before he was even born, he was cursed to follow this path of heartache and conflict. It was destiny.

 

Alden managed to escape the rift just before it fully collapsed in on itself, and later returned to Arcadia to wed his childhood sweetheart; a maid from Castle Lumin. 
 

After the war, Varel and the rest of the demons returned to their home, and Krusven and his soldiers to theirs. Peace was later reformed between Anthro and Kide via an agreement to establish small settlements in each other's countries. (This being a method to allow the races to co-mingle, and thus, understand each other better) The Demons, meanwhile remained largely in their own dimension, save for a few that decided to move to the realm of Tempus.

 

Later, Alden had a memorial of his father constructed to honor the memory of the man he was. Afterwards, Alden continued to rule Arcadia until the end of his days.

 

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Personal Notes: Alden was created as the opposite to Edward, relying more on the Ivory Sol than his Light energy, making Alden more of a "traditional warrior".
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Casimir Lumin - The 7th Ruler (15th Age, 753rd Year - 15th Age, 851st Year)
"The Era of Good Feelings" (Rule from 15th Age, 787th Year - 15th Age, 851st Year)

Alden's successor was his son, Casimir, whom he adopted by blood and aura, as Alden himself never had children and lived for many, many years. (This special process making Casimir - for all intents and purposes - a Lumin by blood and light-based energy.)

 

He was the calmest of Lumins - he never lost his temper, he spoke softly and quietly. He was underestimated because of this - but mistake not, he was very forceful in personality. 

 

He saw that the government had, once again, become messy, and as Zebulon did before him, he trimmed the fat. Through economic troubles and diplomatic accidents that would almost spark wars, Casimir would lead Arcadia, and the world, with a steady hand. Peace and prosperity reigned across the planet like it hadn't in decades. He was loved not just by the Arcadians but by people the world over. Some called him the Guiding Hand of Peace; his detractors would call him the Sheep in Sheep's Clothing. He was not a heroic Lumin like many of the generations before, and so he is forgotten. 

 

But he was the king in the Era of Good Feelings, and when he died, everyone, no matter their thoughts or opinions or ideals, mourned him.‏ 

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Personal notes: Casimir was a pretty okay guy. Shame he didn't see the disaster on the horizon, though.
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Adelle Lumin - The 8th Ruler (15th Age, 836th Year - 15th Age, 864th Year)
"The Runaway Queen" (Rule from 15th Age, 851st Year - 15th Age, 864th Year)

 

Adelle Lumin was born sometime during Casimir's rule, and as a young princess during an era of peace, she was always sort of lazy with her responsibilities. As such, Adelle eventually became bored with her slow lifestyle and left Arcadia in search of adventure. During her travels, Adelle spent much of her time getting involved with various misadventures, but ultimately gaining allies along the way. These good times, however, were tragically cut short when Adelle returned to Arcadia to assume her place as queen.

 

But old habits die hard, and Adelle once again left Arcadia some time later to reunite her old group "for old time's sake". Unfortunately, Arcadia was meanwhile being targeted by Cyrus Lumin, a member of the forgotten branch family dating back to Zebulon's era. Cyrus saw his goal of overthrowing the main branch's rule over Arcadia as a way to claim what was rightfully his, as well as a way to make the main branch pay for tossing his bloodline aside all these years. 

 

Thus, Adelle was to return home to an Arcadia being overrun by Cyrus' forces; and while she had received word that her young son and various attendants had escaped alive, she could not help but feel an extreme guilt toward her negligence. So, Adelle decided to help fight to reclaim Arcadia once more.

 

However, her forces were grossly outnumbered, and were ultimately crushed. Adelle was later executed by Cyrus himself, with her last defiant words concealing thoughts of guilt and disappointment in herself for letting down her people, herself, and her family.

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Personal notes: Big thanks to Terry Wood for helping create the connection between Adelle's story and the next. Unfortunately, this resulted in a super depressing ending for Adelle's story, but I feel it makes her more complete as a character. Was she an irresponsible fool, or just a victim of the complacent nature of a peaceful era? I'll let you decide on that one.
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Jacob Lumin - The 9th Ruler (15th Age, 858th Year - 15th Age, 930th Year)
"The Light Within Darkness" (Rule from 15th Age, 883rd Year - 15th Age, 930th Year)

 

Adelle's son, Jacob, was rescued from Arcadia during its downfall, and was subsequently brought to Marr; where Jacob himself would eventually come to enlist himself into a group of Assassins known as "The Black Wings", (name unofficial) believing it to be his best chance to reclaim Arcadia. (As a frontal assault was most definitely suicide) Many years of training ensued, with Jacob gaining allies among those of the order and increasing his abilities in stealth and assassination to exceptional levels. (Impressive I would think, considering the guy would eventually come to use the white-bladed Ivory Sol for stealth purposes.) 

 

This single-minded determination continued to be the drive for most of his life, developing a rather powerful hatred toward Cyrus for stealing his family and his country in the process. This, in turn, caused Jacob to turn his rage inward and convert it into a focus that gave the man a cold and detached personality, living only for his mission and caring little about other people.

 

When the time came, Jacob made his way back to a now distraught Arcadia. There, he managed to reclaim the Ivory Sol (as Adelle had it with her when she was executed) and make his way to Cyrus' chambers, where Jacob would finally enact his vengeance and assassinate the usurper.

 

Upon reclaiming Arcadia, Jacob began to reconstruct Arcadia once again into its third incarnation, as well as moving to strengthen relationships with other nations, so that Arcadia would have allies should this sort of thing ever happen again. In time, Jacob would also come to shed his anger and find a new reason for his existence: to defend those that stood by him and the people of Arcadia.

 

Unfortunately, Jacob would pass before the reconstruction was complete, leaving the task of finishing the job to...
 

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Personal notes: Jacob is undoubtedly one of the darker Lumin, and was loosely based on the idea of taking one of the Lumin away from the typical "Holy Knight" motif.
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Lyric Lumin - The 10th Ruler (15th Age, 896th Year - 16th Age, 1st Year)
"The Renaissance Leader" (Rule from 15th Age, 930th Year - 16th Age, 1st Year)

Jacob Lumin, it should be noted, had something of a one-track mind. To be sure, he was not an idiot - he was highly intelligent. But he had a tendency to focus on one thing at a time, giving all else less attention than normal. (Due in no small part to his time as an assassin.)

 

So for much of Lyric's life, his attention was devoted alternatively to rebuilding the government from scratch (it should be noted that this was not his specialty), to the reconstruction of Arcadia (again, fiscal management is not one of his specialties either) and to re-establishing diplomatic relations with the remainder of the world (which he was rather talented at.) 

 

By the time she was 15, she was in effect running the country, and demonstrated having a very strong mind in the process. She was not gifted either in sword play or energy manipulation, but hard work got her to a point where she was decently competent at it - enough to hold her own in a fight, but against a master, she would never win. 

One of the crimes that had been committed in Alden's reign was the establishment of Kide work camps, transforming former prisoners-of-war into slaves. These camps were not lead by kind men, and it became Arcadia's dark, dark secret. By the time of Lyric, it was out in the open.

 

She took action, personally executed all those in charge of the camps and the Minister who ran the entire operation. She additionally re-organized the government back into the former system of Ministers and ran the reconstruction of Arcadia. 

 

---*Some Notes on the Subject*---
She's one of the most important Lumins - the bridge between Marie's era of peace and Jacob's era of reconquest. Her talent was administration, and as one might guess, she did not live a particularly joy-filled life. (Also, she's a work-a-holic.)
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At the time, there was still a lot of resentment from the Arcadians towards the Kide. This move made her very unpopular with the populace.

 

Lyric almost single-handedly was responsible for the reconstruction of Arcadia. She was immensely gifted at administration and mental tasks, and somewhat obsessive about it, too. (She designed a vast majority of the new Lumin Castle with a little assistance from three architects, one of which was fired before construction had even began.) She was, during her reign, the most unpopular Lumin to have ever reigned. There were numerous attempted assassinations by dissatisfied and unhappy people. (The world at the time was experiencing a deep economic depression, which as we know does not tend to make people happy.) Many Arcadians hated her. (Opinion on her in foreign countries, was rather more positive.) 

 

By the end of her reign, the world was entering an era of peace and prosperity. Alas, Lyric did not live long into the new age, and her daughter Marie ascended to the throne. This ascension was met with the largest crowd (well wishers, onlooks, generally happy people) in Arcadian history.‏

 
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Personal notes: Lyric is probably one of my favorite Lumin. This taking into consideration my Lumin as well as Terry's.
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Marie Lumin - The 11th Ruler (15th Age, 965th Year - )
"The Queen of the New Era" (Rule from 16th Age, 1st Year - )

 

With Marie's ascension to the throne, moods across the region ranged from hopeful to skeptical, but Marie proved to be a very intelligent individual; taking steps forward using her mother's deeds as a starting point. With Arcadia being substantially more stable, Marie moved to re-establish positive relations among the people of Arcadia. This, coupled with her rather benevolent demeanor, made Marie a widely beloved person across the region as well as the world over.

 

Several years into Marie's reign, she would move to establish the "Exalted Council". Essentially acting as a way for the world's leaders to converse among one another, the Exalted Council would consist of the representatives of Arcadia, Marr, Emperia, Darkwood, Shrade, and Silverice. This move would serve to further tighten relations within the ruling nations, as well as allow for action to be taken against or between them should it become necessary.

 

And so, Marie's rule continues to this day.

Thus, our real story begins...

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Personal notes: Marie is no slouch when it comes to combat, either. Although not as competent as the likes of Alden or Fiona, she could very well hold her own in a fight.
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Isaac Lumin - The 12th Ruler (16th Age, 1st Year - )
"The New Hero Rising" (Rule from - )